The present invention relates to a high speed laser drilling system, and more particularly to a method of operating a laser drilling system to achieve improved laser hole resolution without sacrificing product advancement speed.
Laser systems are often employed to create uniformly spaced holes in a product material such as an advancing web, and such systems are advantageous because of the high product advancement speed and laser hole resolution that can be achieved. Similarly configured systems are used to create holes in continuously fed sheets and in products advanced on a conveyor. However, there are particular hole size and spacing configurations that limit the product advancement speed and/or laser hole resolution because of the constraint of laser turn-on and turn-off times. Specifically, where holes are spaced a relatively large distance apart in comparison to the size of the holes, laser turn-on and turn-off times can limit the speed of product advancement or the resolution of the laser holes. For example, if the product advances at too high of a speed, the laser may remain on for too long and therefore create too large of a hole. Therefore, a method of operating a laser drilling system that enables high laser hole resolution without sacrificing product advancement speed would be a significant improvement in the art.